GWAR
- CORY SMOOT, R.I.P.!
"The show
must go on or I will be pissed" - R.I.P Cory Smoot a.k.a Flattus
Maximus of Gwar
On November
18th, just 15 days after The death guitarist Cory Smoot, Gwar joined
us at the Marchesa Hall playing:
Zombies, March!
A Gathering Of Ghouls
Storm Is Coming
Jagermonsta
Eighth Lock
Crack In The Egg
Bring Back The Bomb
Immortal Corruptor
Hail, Genocide!
KZ Necromancer
Metal Metal Land
Let Us Slay
Damnation Under God
The Uberklaw
Ham On The Bone
The Salaminizer
Maggots
Sick Of You
Cory's guitar was on the stage. A guestbook in his honor was available
for singing. A portrait of him was brought onstage at the end of
the show.
Today according
to GuitarPlayer.com
Stated North
Dakota coroner William Massello III, MD:
"We have finalized the autopsy report and death certificate.
I have determined that Cory died from a coronary artery thrombosis
brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease."
Here is the official press release from Issachar Entertainment,
Gwar's artist management group:
November 4th,
2011 by jack (Flanagan) (0) Gwar,News
After a restless night spent hurtling through the desolate Canadian
wilderness, I crawled from my bunk on the tour bus to face reality,
grudgingly aware that the the dark dream that gripped us would not
fade with the day. We have lost a brother, a husband, a son, and
one of the most talented musicians that ever slung an ax. Cory Smoot,
longtime lead guitar player for the band GWAR, has passed at the
age of 34.
“As the
singer of GWAR and one of his best friends, I feel it is my duty
to try and answer some of the questions that surround his tragic
and untimely death. I know the sense of loss and pain is far greater
in scope than in the insulated environment of a band on tour, and
I will do my best to provide what clarity and comfort I can.
“The most
glaring question is how? And unfortunately that is the hardest question
to answer. The truth will not be known until the medical officials
have finished their work. All I can do is relate what we saw with
our own eyes.
“The last
time I saw Cory was after our show in Minneapolis on Weds. night.
It was a great show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, one of our favorite
places to play. Cory was happy. He was excited about the band and
especially the new studio he was building in the Slave Pit back
in Richmond. He was deeply in love with his wife, Jamie, and was
busily planning their family and future in the beautiful home they
had. As usual, after some autographs and banter, I was probably
the first person in their bunk as we got ready for a big drive into
Canada, and Cory and the rest of the guys were not far behind. As
I fell into the slumber that only playing GWAR shows can induce,
everything seemed right in the world.
“We found
Cory the next morning as we collected passports for a border crossing.
He was in his bunk, unresponsive, and it quickly was clear that
he was dead. It was without a doubt the most horrible moment of
my life. That’s all I can say about it.
“Within
moments everybody was off the bus, standing in a wind-swept parking
lot in the middle of nowhere, trying to come to grips with the shock
of it. First the ambulance arrived, and then the police, but there
was nothing that could be done other than fully investigate the
scene and remove Cory with care and respect.
“We are
completely devastated and shocked beyond belief. One night we had
our friend and colleague, happy and healthy in the middle of our
best tour in years- and the next morning, so suddenly, he was gone.
Never have I seen starker proof of the fragility of life.
“Cory
will be transported home to Richmond over the next few days, and
an announcement regarding services will be made soon. We ask everyone
to respect the families wish for privacy, and especially to keep
his wife, Jamie, in your thoughts and prayers.
“As we
work our way through these difficult days the question is —
what will GWAR do? After a lot of consideration, we have decided
to carry on with the tour. Although the great temptation would be
to return home, curl into a fetal position, and mourn, we can’t
do that. First off, Cory wouldn’t want that. He would want
us to go on and would be pissed if we didn’t. Plus we know
the fans don’t want us to quit. They are going to want a chance
to come to grips with their loss, and there is no better place to
do that than at a GWAR show. Though it’s hard to believe,
I think we all would feel a lot worse if we stopped. For better
or worse we have to see this through.
“That
doesn’t mean that Cory will make his final journey without
us. When the arrangements have been finalized, Cory’s best
friend and GWAR’s music tech Dave “Gibby” Gibson,
and myself will return home to attend the services and pay the proper
respects to our comrade.
“Out of
respect to Cory, we have officially retired the character of Flattus
Maximus. Flattus has decided to return to his beloved “Planet
Home”, and will never return to this mudball planet again.
And this is a sadder place for that.
“Just
the other day I heard Cory tell a story about how some 20 years
ago he was fourteen years old, at his first GWAR show, grabbing
at the rubber feet of our then- current Flattus, and how blown away
he was at the fact that now HE was the one getting his feet pulled
by the same kid that he used to be. Cory was always in awe of the
patterns of life and went through it with a wide-eyed amazement
that translated through his playing. I’ve never known anyone
who could pick up literally any instrument and rock it the first
time he touched it, and more than that make it look easy. Behind
that rubber monster outfit, and sometimes even obscured by it, was
one of the most talented and beautiful people I have ever known.
I know everyone who’s life was touched by Cory truly loved
him, as do we, his bandmates and brothers.
“There
should be some kind of announcement soon regarding services, etc.
It would be great to have a memorial show at some point soon, where
some of the bands that Cory worked with could come together and
show their love for this truly amazing man who left us all too soon
and will be sorely missed by many, many people.” -http://issacharentertainment.com/site/news
Rest in Pieces!
-Kris Moore
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